Loader



Nov. 26, 1935.

S. F. OSSING LOADER '2 sheets-Sheet 1 g Filed July so, 1952 Nov. 26,v 1935. s. F. ossiNG 2,922,146

` LOADER Filed July so, 1952 2 sheets-sheet 2 /NVE/v Toe Patented Nov. 26, 1.935

PATENT f olf-FICE LOADER.

Stanley F. Ossing, Columbus, ,0hio, assigner to The Jeffrey Manufacturing Company, a. corporation of Illinois Application July 30,

7 Claims.

The present invention relates to loaders of a portable type and one of its objects is the provision of new and useful improvements for supporting the conveyor unit of the loader in elevated position during transportation.

More particularly, it is the object of the present invention to provide a detachable support for the conveyor unit oi the loader in position to cooperate with connections between the forward portion of the conveyor unit and the supporting framework to permit the center of gravity of the conveyor unit to occupy such a position that the conveyor unit will be automatically held in elevated position during transportation.

A further object of the invention is the provision of automatic limit stop mechanism for hoisting mechanism connected between supporting framework and an adjustable conveyor unit.

Other objects of the invention will appear hereinafter, the novel features and combinations being set forth in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings Fig. 1 is a side elevational view of the loader arranged fortransportation;

Fig. 2 is a side velevational view of the loader in position for operation;

Fig. 3 is a sectional plan view on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a sectional view taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. l looking in the direction of the arrows;

Fig. 5 is a view partly. in section, of the intermediate portion of the power transmission mechanism for the travelling conveyor on the conveyor unit; vand Fig. 6 is an enlarged plan view of the removable transverse supporting bar for the conveyor unit when in the transportation position shown in Fig. l.

Referring to Figs. 1 and 2, 1 designates a supporting tractor of the crawler type upon the frame of which are mounted spaced-apart masts 8 and 9. The masts li and 9 are sufficiently spaced apart to permit free up and down movement between the same of the conveyor unit I il which comprises a conveyor frame II with an endless travelling conveyor I2 mounted thereon and comprising spaced-apart cross-flights I3, i 3. Hoisting mechanism on the frame of the crawler tractor unit comprises two hoisting ropes or cables I4 connected to opposite sides of the conveyor frame II intermediate the ends of the latter as shown in Figs. l and 2. As shown in Fig. 3 a reversible motor I5 is connected by sprocket gearing I6 to variablespeed transmission gearing in the housing I7 and controlled by the gear shift' 19372, Serial No. 626,907A (Cl. 198-233) llever I 9. Sprocket gearing I9 connects the variable speed transmission gearing to the countershaft which is located in the position shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

At that end of the countershaft 20 opposite 5 the sprocket gearing I9 is a jaw clutch 2I for controlling the connection of the countershaft 20 by means of the sprocket gearing 22 to the shaft 23 which is connected by the worm gearing 24 to the hoisting drum 25. The two ropes .or 10 cables I4 are connected to .and wound on the hoisting drum 25. One of the ropes or cables extends directly upward from the hoisting drum 25 and is reeved over the supporting pulley 26 shown in Fig. 4. The other hoisting rope or cable l5 is extended upwardly in an inclined direction to-` ward the opposite side of the machine and is reeved under the direction pulley 21' as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. From the pulley 21 the hoisting rope I4 extends upwardly adjacent the mast 20 8 and is reeved over the supporting pulley 2l. From the supporting pulleys 26 and 21 the ropes I4 extend downwardly and are reeved around the suspension pulleys 28 as shown in Figs. 1 and 2 and the ends of the ropes are then connected to 25 the masts as illustrated at 29 in Figs. l and 2.

The clutch 2| may be operated by means of the leverZI which is connected by means of the rope 30 to a spring 3I which in turn is connected to the lever 32 pivoted at 33 to the mast 8. The 30 lever 32 may have a limited swinging movement on the pivot 33 in a slot in the bracket 34. When the hoisting mechanism is operated to lift the discharge end of the conveyor unit to the position shown in Fig. 2 the shaft 35 oi the pulley 28 will 35 strike the lever 32 tov exert al pull on the rope 30 and automatically move the lever 2| to a position where the clutch 2I will be released and the hoisting drum 25 stopped. The overhanging Y weight of the discharge end of the conveyor will then be supported by the hoisting ropes since the hoisting drum 25 will be automatically locked by the self-locking worm gearing 24. Sprocket gearing 36 isA connected between the countershaft 20 and the mechanism shown at 31 for driving the 45 endless travelling conveyor I2. A clutch 38 operated by a lever 38 controlsthe driving of the travelling conveyor I2.

The crawler tractor mechanism may be separately operated on opposite sides of the machine so as to enable the direction of travel of the loader to be varied as it is desired. The endless crawler tread 39 shown in elevation in Figs.

1 and 2 may be operated by the sprocket 40 shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3. The. power transmis- 65 sion mechanism for the sprocket 40 comprises the sprocket gearing 4I which is controlled by a clutch 42 and the latter may be operated by the lever 42'. In a similar manner the endless crawler tread on the opposite side of the machine may Y be operated by the sprocket 43, the power transing in the clutch while the clutch 42 is re' leased the crawler tread on the opposite side of the machine may be operated to swing the loader in the opposite direction. By throwing in both of the clutches 42 and 45 at the same time the loading machine may be moved either forwardly to advance the receiving end of the conveyor unit into the material to be loaded or to retract such receiving end from the pile of loose material.

In order to resist the backward thrust on the conveyor unit when the loader is in the loading position shown in Fig. 2 and the receiving end of the conveyor unit I0 is forced into a pile of loose material to be loaded, a pair of thrust rods 46 are pivoted at their rear ends at 41 to the lower ends of the masts 8 and 9 and the forward ends are pivoted at 48 to the lower side of the conveyor frame II between the receiving end of the conveyor unit and the center of gravity thereof. Preferably when. the machine is in the position shown in Fig. 2 the pivots 41 and 48 are in a plane extending through the axis 2B. It will thus be seen that the strut rods 46 areso associated with the sprocket gearing 36 as to maintain the latter taut through a wide angle of adjustment of the elevation of the receiving end of the conveyor unit. Operation of the travelling conveyor I2 may therefore be maintained by power from the reversible motor I5 on the frame 1 when the receiving end of the conveyor is adjacent the surface on which the crawler treads are supported and also when the receiving end is elevated to various positions to enable the loader to be pushed into upper portions of`a pile of loose material to be loaded. In other words, by having the pivot 41 near the axis of the countershaft 20 and by having the pivot 41 in a plane which passes through the axis 20 and the pivot 48 when the loader is in the p osition shown in Fig. 2, the sprocket chain 36 will be sufficiently taut to maintain power transmission to the travelling conveyor I2 when the receiving end of the conveyor unit is elevated to various positions above the surface on which the loose material lies.

It should also be noted that when the receiving end of the conveyor unit is in its lowermost position at the surface of the ground on which the loader is supported the strut rods will be inclined upwardly and forwardly so that the rearward thrust due to pushing the conveyor into the pile of loose material, will be rearwardly and downwardly to prevent upward tilting of the forward end of the tractor frame 1.

In order to keep the forward receiving end of the conveyor unit' adjacent the ground or surface on which the loose material lies and prevent riding of such receiving end over the pile of loose material, wedge plates 49 are connected by means of the pin and slot connections 50 to opposite sides of the forward end of the conveyor frame `II. The wedge plates 49 are in Vvertical planes at opposite sides of the receiving end of the conveyor unit and arc connected to the forward end of the supplemental supporting frame 5I the rear end of which is pivoted at 52 to the crawler tractor frame 1 as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. Vertical guard plates 53 are mounted on opposite sides of the supplemental frame 5I back of the wedge plates 49 in position to protect the lower` runs of the chains of the scraper conveyor I2 and to prevent material during loading operations from entering the space below the receiving end of the conveyor unit and between the sides of the frame 5I. It is preferred to construct`- the pin and slot connections 50 so as to comprise laterally projecting pins 54 at the sides of the conveyor frame II and sliding in horizontal slots 55 so that the wedge-shaped shoes 49 will serve to support the forward receiving end of the conveyor unit adjacent the ground surface to provide freedom of movement of the cross-nights I3 when changing their directions of travel. It should be understood, however, that the supplemental frame 5I resists the thrust of only the wedge plates 49 when the loader is in the position shown in Fig. 2 and the receiving end of the conveyor unit is pushed into a pile of loose material to be loaded. The main thrust due to engagement of the travelling conveyor and the conveyor bed with the material to be loaded is resisted by the thrust rods 46. The inclination of the thrust rods 46 rearward and downward from the lower side of the conveyor unit will hold the front end of the crawler tractor in engagement with the ground by preventing upward tilting thereof. The forward end of the conveyor unit is limited in its downward movement relative to the masts 8 and 9 by the pins 54 engaging the left-hand ends of the slots 55 as viewed in Fig. 2.

In order to support the conveyor unit in the horizontal position shown in Fig. 1 for transportation I have provided forward extending bracket plates 56, 51 secured to the masts 8 and 9 respectively and bolted rigidly together by means of the bolt 58 and pipe 59 as shown in Fig. 4. In notches 60 in the bracket plates 56, 51 is adapted to be detachably mounted a transverse supporting rod 6I which is provided with .anti-friction rollers 62, 63 mounted between abutments 64, 65 and 66, 61 as shown in Fig. 6. 'I'he anti-friction rollers 62 and 63 are preferably mounted so as to occupy positions at the inner sides of the plates 56 and 51 and so as to be directly under the lower lateral frame members of the conveyor frame II.

When theremovable supporting structure shown in Fig. 6 is placed in the notches 60 of the bracket plates 56 and 51 while the conveyor unit is in the position shown in Fig. 2 the abutments 64 and 66 which are secured to the rod 6I will serve to prevent end-wise movement of the rod 6I relative to the plates 66 and 61. Now when the hoisting mechanism is operated to pay out the hoisting ropes I4 the discharge end of the conveyor unit will be lowered onthe pins 64 acting Aas a. fulcrum until the conveyor frame II engagestheanti-friction rollers 62 and 63 whereupon the overbalancing weight of the conveyor unit to the left of the notches 60 will serve to lift the receiving end of the conveyor unit to the position shown in Fig. l where the pins 54 engage the right-hand ends of the Aslots 55 and thereby prevent any further upward movement of the receiving end ofA the conveyor unit. It will thus be seen that by locating the transverse support-- ing rod 6I forwardly of the center of gravity of the tilting structure the discharge end of the conveyorunit may be let down with the assurance that the rollers 62 and 63 will act as a fulcrum about which the forward end of the con-I veyor unit will move upwardly until the pins 5I strike the forward ends of the slots 55. However, in the absence of the pin and slotv connections 50 the hoisting ropes Il could be relied on to hold the conveyor unit in horizontal position because of the interlocking worm gearing 24. It is preferred, however, to include the pin and slot connections 50 so that during transportation the tension on the ropes Il may be relieved.

Furthermore, if desired, the rear end of the conveyor unit may be lowered by the hoisting mechanism until it is supported not only '.iy the rollers 62, 63 and the rod 6I .on the brackets 56, 51, but also by the cross-bar 8i)y secured to the rear sides of the masts 8 and 9 as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, with the center of gravity of the conveyor unit between the rod 6i and the crossbar 8D. In that event the tension on the hoisting ropes may be relieved and the rear portion of the frame 5| omitted leaving the wedge shoes 49 merely pivoted to the sides of the conveyor frame Il. The strut rods 4B may then be relied on to prevent longitudinal movement of the conveyorunit relative to the rod 6| and the crossbar 80.

An abutment reinforcing frame 8| may be secured to the central portion of the conveyor unit il so as to span the under side thereof in position to engage the rollers 62, 63 and the crossbar 80 at points spaced below the cross-flights I3, asshown in Fig. l.

At the rear end of the conveyor unit I0 is a discharge chute 68 pivoted at 69 and provided with a screen 10 for directing the smallest particles of material to an auxiliary chute 1l which is connected by a chain 12 to the chute' as shown in Fig. 2.

By means of a lever 13 a winding drum may be operated to exert a pull on the rope 14 which is reeved around the pulley 15 and connected at 16 toone end of an adjusting rod 11. By exerting a pull on the rope 1l the rod 11 may be slid rearwardly through the swivelled support 18 which is 'mounted on both sides of the conveyor frame il. A rearward thrust of the rod 11 will elevate the discharge end of the chute 68. Pawl and ratchet mechanism 19 may be provided adjacent the crank 13 to hold the lrod 11 in adjusted position. When this pawl and ratchet mechanism is released the chute 68 may be adjusted to a lower position. y

The delivery mechanism comprising the chutes 68 and 1I and the mechanism for adjusting the same from a position near the receiving end of the conveyor unit is not covered by the claims hereto appended but will be covered by claims in a separate application. The loader herein shown and described is disclosed in my co-pending application Ser. No. 546,851, filed June 25, 1931, for a Scraper loader, with the exception of the support 8, the bracket plates 56 and 51 and the supporting structure shown in Fig. 6, the present application being therefore directed to an improvement of the disclosure in said copending application. v

Obviously those skilled in the art may make various changes in the details and arrangement of parts without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the claims hereto appended, and I wish therefore not to be restricted to the precise construction herein disclosed.

Having thus described and shown an embodiment of my invention, what I desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. In conveyor apparatus, the combination with a supporting frame. of self-propelling mechanism therefor, an elongated conveyor unit comprising an endless conveyor, a supplemental frame pivoted at its rear end to the lower portion of said supporting frame, wedging shoes at the forward end of said supplemental frame, pin and slot coni0 noctions`between the forward end of said supplemental frame and the receiving end of said conveyor unit, thrust mechanism pivotally connected at its rear end to said supporting frame and at its forward end to said conveyor unit, l5 power transmission mechanism associated with said thrust mechanism and extending from the supporting frame to said endless conveyor, hoisting mechanism for the conveyor unit. and an auxiliary transverse support-on said supporting 20 frame in position to be engaged by the lower side of said conveyor unit between the center of gravity thereof andthe receiving end of said conveyor unit.

2. In conveyor apparatus, the combination with a supporting frame, of an elongated conveyor unit, a supplemental frame for slidably supporting the forward end of said conveyor unit, wedging shoes at the forward end of said supplemental frame, mechanism connecting the conveyor unit and said supporting frame in position to take the thrust when the receiving end of said conveyor is pushed into a pile of material to be loaded while said wedging shoes act to prevent such receiving end from riding up on the pile of material, means for adjusting theelevation of the discharge end of said conveyor unit, and an auX- iiiary support on said supporting frame in position to be engaged by said conveyor unit between itscenter of gravity and its receiving vend to effeet elevation of the receiving end of the conveyor unit when the discharge' end is lowered while said thrust mechanism confines the center of gravity of the conveyor unit to a position rearwardly oi said auxiliary support. i5

3. In conveyor apparatus, the combination with a supporting frame, of an elongated conveyor unit mounted thereon, a fulcrum support for said conveyor unit, means for effecting tilting adjustments of said conveyor unit on said fulcrum support, a thrust rod pivotally connected at its rear end to saidframe and at its forward end to said conveyor unit intermediate the receiving end thereof and said fulcrum support, and means for limiting the tilting of saidr elongated conveyor unit, said means being pivcted at its rear end to said frame and having a pin and slot connection with the receiving end of said conveyor unit.

4. In conveyor apparatus, the combination with a supporting frame, of an elongated conveyor unit, a fulcrum support on said frame, means for effecting tilting of said conveyor unit on said fulcrum support, a thrust device pivotally connected at its rear end to said frame and at its forward end to said conveyor unit intermediate said fulcrum support and the receiving end of said conveyor unit, and a supplemental frame spaced from said thrust device and pivotally connected at its rear end to said frame and connected at its forward end to the receiving end of said conveyor unit to limit the tilting of the latter relatively to said frame.

5. In conveyor apparatus, the combination with a supporting frame, of an elongated conveyor unit, a transverse abutment on said frame beneath said conveyor unit to limit downward movement of the latter, a thrust rod pivotally connected at its rear end to said frame below said abutment and pivotally connected at its forward end to said conveyor unit between a vertical plane including said abutment and the receiving end of said conveyor unit, and a supplemental frame spaced below said thrust rod and pivotally connected at its rear end to the lower portion of said frame and pivotally connected at its forward end to the said receiving end of said conveyor unit, said thrust rod and said supplemental frame co-operating with said abutment to limit the downward movement of said receiving end of the conveyor unit relatively to said frame.

6. In conveyor apparatus, the combination with a supporting frame, of an elongated conveyor unit, a transverse abutment below said conveyor unit, hoisting mechanism for adjusting the discharge end of said conveyor unit, said abutment being adapted to serve as a tilting fulcrum for said conveyor unit when let ldown by said hoisting mechanism' onto said abutment, a thrust rod pivoted at its rear end to said frame in xed relation thereto and pivoted at its forward end to said conveyor unit in ilxed relation thereto between a vertical plane including said abutment and the receiving end of said conveyor unit, a 5 supplemental frame pivoted at its rear end to said frame, and pin and slot connections between the outer end of said supplemental frame and the receiving end of said conveyor unit.

7. In conveyor apparatus, the combination with 10 a supporting frame, of a conveyor unit, means for adjusting the elevation oi the discharge end of the conveyor unit, a i'ulcrum support adjacent the receiving end of the conveyor unit for eifecting elevation of the receiving end of the con 15 veyor unit, and means comprising a supplemental frame between the receiving end portion of the conveyor unit and the supporting frame together with a pin and slot connection between the sup- 20 plemental frame and the receiving end of the conveyor unit for limiting the elevation of the receiving end.

STANLEY F. OSSING. 

